


We Are (Not) The Same

by abeth_zuppa



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Childbirth, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, I'm not original when it comes to naming children of fictional couples, Mentions of Shou Tucker, Original Characters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:40:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25008613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abeth_zuppa/pseuds/abeth_zuppa
Summary: Ed marvels at what alchemy could never accomplish.
Relationships: Edward Elric & Winry Rockbell, Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell
Comments: 6
Kudos: 38





	We Are (Not) The Same

“We are the same! We’re the same! You’re just like me!”

“It’s true. You and I are exactly the same. Accept it, Edward - we make monsters!”

Ed jolted awake in a cold sweat, clutching the bedcovers in his fists. He looked around the dark room as he took deep breaths. 

_ Shou Tucker is gone. He’s dead. And...so is Nina.... _

He started the grounding technique that Winry had taught him after he returned home from his journey. 

_ Five things I can see… _

Winry laid on her left side, quietly sleeping. He hoped he hadn’t startled her. Her sleep was very important to her, especially as she was pregnant and due any day now. Even with the fatigue and small complaints of pain, she continued to find time to tinker with automail and help those in need. To Ed, she was absolutely stunning and he loved her more than anything. 

“Ed?”

She shifted to face him. 

“I’m okay, Win. Go back to sleep.”

“Was it the same dream?”

He paused. “Yeah.”

He had told her about the incident with Shou Tucker about two years ago. How he would continue to have nightmares, the vision of Shou and his hideous fusion of his own daughter and her dog, and how Shou would mock him for what happened to his mother and brother. The nightmares had only gotten worse recently where they had horrifically combined with his own stress over Winry’s pregnancy. Ed knew that Winry was doing well and that she and the baby were healthy. The local midwife had even commented on Winry being one of the healthiest mothers she had seen in her entire career. But there was always an underlying anxiety he felt that manifested in his dreams. 

She reached out to touch his arm. They laid in silence, Winry running her hand up and down Ed’s upper arm as he continued grounding himself. When he finished, Winry took Ed’s hand in hers, bringing it to rest on her abdomen. Each tiny kick against his palm marveled him. 

_ That’s our baby in there. _

He kissed Winry’s forehead as she drifted back to sleep, then he let himself fall asleep, hearing Winry’s tired whisper.

“I love you.” 

*****

Finally, the day came. Through ten hours of labor, Ed held Winry’s hand as she pushed and moaned in pain. Pinako coached her through, just like she had done with both of their mothers. Winry sobbed as she heard the cries of their baby echo through the bedroom and the shouts of “It’s a boy!”. The baby was immediately placed on her chest as Pinako and the other midwife cleaned the newborn and put a hat on his head. 

Winry brought the baby to her breast. Their newborn son latched on after a few tries and Winry smiled at her husband. Ed kissed her forehead, still damp with sweat. He took the index finger of his right hand and gently touched the soft skin of their baby’s cheek. When the baby stopped suckling, the midwife cut and clamped the umbilical cord, put a cloth diaper on him, and swaddled him in a blanket. 

“Dad, would you like to hold him?” she asked. 

_ Dad…holy shit I’m officially a father now.  _

He held out his arms, the midwife gently placing the infant. Ed brought his son close to his chest and supported the tiny head in the bend of his elbow. He was speechless as he sat down in the chair next to the bed. He didn’t notice the others in the room leaving him and Winry alone to take a break, allowing the new parents to bond with their son. 

But he did notice that there were a few tears forming. 

“Ed, are you okay?”

He briefly brought his right hand up to wipe his eyes. 

“I thought…I thought that alchemists could only create monsters. That all we were good for is destroying...unable to create anything...”

Winry reached out to lightly touch his arm, the one that she had created out of automail and had been replaced with flesh and bone. She remembered when Ed divulged the story of Shou Tucker’s crimes. The events that he recounted brought her to tears at the cruelty of Tucker and the death of Nina and Alexander at the hands of Scar, who had also taken her parents from her. She couldn’t imagine what Ed and Al had gone through when they found out the truth. For a while, Ed was terrified at the thought of having kids, fearing that something would happen that would cause him to become a monster like Shou. 

“But…you’ve given me…” He paused and gently stroked the back of his son’s head. “The most  _ awesome _ gift ever…our own child”. 

She touched his hand, gently squeezing his fingers in hers. He had called the birth in Rush Valley “awesome” as well. 

“Ed?”

“Yeah?” he replied, handing their son back to Winry. She held him close to her chest and kissed his forehead.

“You’re not a monster, Ed. You helped to create our baby, and you’re gonna help create wonderful memories with him”.

She noticed he was tearing up again. 

“And…you’re going to be an awesome dad”. 

With those words, he couldn’t hold back his tears anymore. Winry clasped his hand in hers, allowing his joys and fears to be released. The couple sat together, Ed taking in the moment - the sunlight beaming through the curtains, Winry’s quiet cooing, the warmth of her hand in his. For the first time in weeks, Ed felt completely at peace. 

“Urey. Urey Alphonse Elric.” Winry said, interrupting his reverie. 

Ed’s smile grew, turning his face towards Winry and kissing her gently. 

“It’s perfect,” he said as he touched his new son’s cheek. “Welcome to the world, Urey.”

He rested his head lightly on his wife’s shoulder, gazing upon his beautiful family. 

_ We’re not the same, Shou.  _

_ Not even damn close.  _

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> I started this fic a long time ago and finally decided to finish it. I originally hoped to finish it for Father's Day 2020, but that didn't happen, but it's here 2 weeks later. 
> 
> For those who don't know, the grounding technique that Ed is using corresponds to the five senses - 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. It's helpful for anxiety disorders, trauma, and dissociation. I think that Winry would be teaching these types of techniques to Ed and her automail clients, as they probably experienced some sort of traumatic event that resulted in losing a limb. 
> 
> Please feel free to leave comments, questions, and constructive criticism. 
> 
> -Ellie (abeth_zuppa)


End file.
